Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on June 13, 2007, 05:13:41 PM
Post by: wmenorr67 on June 13, 2007, 05:18:28 PM
Post by: charby on June 13, 2007, 05:25:04 PM
Post by: mtnbkr on June 13, 2007, 05:27:41 PM
Chris
Post by: Manedwolf on June 13, 2007, 07:10:03 PM
Post by: Paddy on June 14, 2007, 04:58:20 AM
Post by: RadioFreeSeaLab on June 14, 2007, 05:28:45 AM
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 14, 2007, 06:25:09 AM
Most of the "free" and many of the upgrade phones are single-band or provider-specific. Sprint comes to mind as many of their entry-level phones only work on Sprint systems (I'll leave it to the Tech-Heads to explain exactly why). A dual- or tri-band phone with digital and analog capability should have you talking anywhere in the country. Since most providers cross-lease tower time coverage should not an issue presuming there is a cell coverage in the area.
Your home-calling and roaming areas will be something to look at, provided you need area-specific coverage that a provider might, or might not, offer.
Brad
Post by: Manedwolf on June 14, 2007, 07:02:37 AM
The Samsung Blade, one of the thinnest phones made, and with a magnesium case, much better than the crappy Razr, is one such example.
Post by: K Frame on June 14, 2007, 07:06:57 AM
The second you change companies, the process repeats itself.
Post by: mtnbkr on June 14, 2007, 07:09:44 AM
Actually, a lot of the top of the line CDMA phones are digital-only as well now, to make them smaller and more power efficient and such.
My ancient Treo 600 is digital only, yet gives me better performance in terms of signal strength and battery life than any of the mixed mode phones I've owned. I can easily go an entire weekend on one charge at my normal duty cycle.
Chris
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 14, 2007, 07:13:42 AM
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I can easily go an entire weekend on one charge at my normal duty cycle.
So will my Audiovox 8900 except when I'm on analog service. I go to my aunt and uncle's place in extreme northeastern New Mexico quite often. While there my phone kicks over into analog and will suck the battery dry in under a day.
Brad
Post by: charby on June 14, 2007, 07:25:46 AM
Quote
I can easily go an entire weekend on one charge at my normal duty cycle.
I have a Nokia 6235i that I can go 5 days with between charges, but I only use about 300 total minutes a month in talk time. My wife on the other hand is the reason why we have 1200 minutes anytime minutes on our shared plan. She is around 1500 total minutes.
I love US Cellular because nights and weekends start at 7PM, free incoming calls and free in network calls. Most of the folks that we call regular are about 50% US Cellular customers. I think our plan is around $85 a month.
Also yes don't take the free phone they offer, upgrade some. You will be happy. I paid $100 for my phone last year when my old was dying.
-C
Post by: mtnbkr on June 14, 2007, 07:30:59 AM
As for plans, our plan has 700 minutes, but our calls on nights and weekends are free, as are calls to other verizon subscribers. We only use our cellphones and never the home phone. The only time we ran out of minutes was back when we had a 500 minute plan around the holidays. I think we spend about $70/month and generally use 300-400 of our minutes (but several thousand "free" minutes).
Chris
Post by: Antibubba on June 14, 2007, 07:32:31 AM
Quote
Most of the "free" and many of the upgrade phones are single-band or provider-specific. Sprint comes to mind as many of their entry-level phones only work on Sprint systems (I'll leave it to the Tech-Heads to explain exactly why). A dual- or tri-band phone with digital and analog capability should have you talking anywhere in the country. Since most providers cross-lease tower time coverage should not an issue presuming there is a cell coverage in the area.
That may have once been true in the past, but all of the current Sprint models are at least dual-band. One of Sprint's newest plans include free roaming (up to the number of minutes in the plan); I don't think anyone else offers that.
Post by: mtnbkr on June 14, 2007, 07:42:28 AM
Edit to add: That's nearly 6 years.
Chris
Post by: ilbob on June 14, 2007, 08:08:13 AM
US Cellular if you live in their coverage areas
yep. don't always have all the latest and fanciest gimmicks, but has good, solid service.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 14, 2007, 08:45:17 AM
Quote
That may have once been true in the past, but all of the current Sprint models are at least dual-band.
Didn't know that.
We have folks here in our office that are still cussing because they fell for a cheapo Sprint plan and the even cheaper "free" phones, later to find that the phones only work in Sprint-served areas. Set one foot outside the service area and you're SOL.
They aren't about to admit they got snookered and, of course, they are too cheap to upgrade even if all the current phones are dual band.
Brad
Post by: Manedwolf on June 14, 2007, 08:46:46 AM
Quote
That may have once been true in the past, but all of the current Sprint models are at least dual-band. One of Sprint's newest plans include free roaming (up to the number of minutes in the plan); I don't think anyone else offers that.
Not really. I just got the Blade a couple of months ago, and it's digital-only. And one of their best phones.
Post by: charby on June 14, 2007, 08:59:49 AM
US Cellular if you live in their coverage areas
yep. don't always have all the latest and fanciest gimmicks, but has good, solid service.
I think that is why its good, no bandwidth eating freakizod phones and extras
Post by: Tallpine on June 14, 2007, 03:22:49 PM
But alas, that cell phone service provider does not seem to exist ...
Post by: mtnbkr on June 14, 2007, 03:34:41 PM
The best one would be the one that provides coverage to the north side of the hill where my house is located.
But alas, that cell phone service provider does not seem to exist ...
There are solutions for that. How much taller than your house is this hill? I've seen systems consisting of a yagi antenna on one end, with a small disk antenna on the other and an amp in the middle. You put the yagi on the roof pointed towards your nearest tower and run the coax to the room where you want your best reception, that's where the other antenna goes. But alas, that cell phone service provider does not seem to exist ...
That's a very simple description of the system. IIRC, one of the companies that made this sort of stuff had a low end kit for residential users that ran about $500 for one carrier type. In your case, you'd simply put the yagi on a pole tall enough to clear the hill.
Chris
Post by: K Frame on June 14, 2007, 03:46:06 PM
Reading this thread, and others like it, make me think that I'm really the only person on the face of the earth anymore who doesn't have a cell phone jammed into my ear 24x7x365.
I haven't even bothered to turn mine on in over a month.
Post by: cosine on June 14, 2007, 04:13:36 PM
Reading this thread, and others like it, make me think that I'm really the only person on the face of the earth anymore who doesn't have a cell phone jammed into my ear 24x7x365.
I haven't even bothered to turn mine on in over a month.
I haven't even bothered to turn mine on in over a month.
Well, it's probably just you and me. I don't even own one.
Post by: mtnbkr on June 14, 2007, 04:23:57 PM
You got antennas on the mind lately, boy...
Actually, I learned about that system while doing some stuff for our favorite Uncle Sam. Not only are the denizens of this board addicted to their cellphones, so are various bureaucrats.
Chris
Post by: K Frame on June 14, 2007, 04:28:40 PM
You got antennas on the mind lately, boy...
Actually, I learned about that system while doing some stuff for our favorite Uncle Sam. Not only are the denizens of this board addicted to their cellphones, so are various bureaucrats.
Chris
I guess I'm something of a luddite when it comes to cell phones.
That's why I have a candlestick phone.
HELLO? MABLE? CAN YOU GET ME ASTOR-3 729? THANKS!
Post by: LadySmith on June 15, 2007, 12:58:40 AM
You got antennas on the mind lately, boy...
Reading this thread, and others like it, make me think that I'm really the only person on the face of the earth anymore who doesn't have a cell phone jammed into my ear 24x7x365.
I haven't even bothered to turn mine on in over a month.
Reading this thread, and others like it, make me think that I'm really the only person on the face of the earth anymore who doesn't have a cell phone jammed into my ear 24x7x365.
I haven't even bothered to turn mine on in over a month.
Same here. I loathe phones. The only time I turn on the ringer on my home phone is when my car is in the shop, a pet is at the vet or I'm looking for more work. The only time my cell gets turned on is if it's an emergency. But that might change. Thanks to this thread, I checked and qualified for a free upgrade to a phone that has more gizmos. I'll be playing with its toys instead of talking, though. It'll be my first camera phone.
Post by: mtnbkr on June 15, 2007, 03:23:17 AM
Chris
Post by: Manedwolf on June 15, 2007, 03:55:39 AM
You got antennas on the mind lately, boy...
Actually, I learned about that system while doing some stuff for our favorite Uncle Sam. Not only are the denizens of this board addicted to their cellphones, so are various bureaucrats.
Chris
I guess I'm something of a luddite when it comes to cell phones.
That's why I have a candlestick phone.
HELLO? MABLE? CAN YOU GET ME ASTOR-3 729? THANKS!
Get one of these. They're $29. There's also a Bluetooth version.
Post by: Thor on June 15, 2007, 04:00:28 AM
As far as phone etiquette, I firmly believe that there has become NONE. I may answer my phone when/if I'm expecting an important call, but I usually let it go to voice mail if I'm in a crowded area or I find a discrete place to hold a conversation. Honestly, those direct connect phones annoy the hell out of me. Don't people realize that there's a "privacy" function?? I don't care to listen to both sides of a phone conversation while I'm in a store, restaurant, or just out and about. Furthermore, yelling into the phone doesn't help. It might have during the analog cell phone days, but those days are pretty much gone. Peopled NEED to show some common courtesy when using their cell phones!!!
Post by: LadySmith on June 15, 2007, 04:19:09 AM
I never understood the animosity towards cellphones. Nothing says you have to answer the thing when it rings. If I'm busy or don't want to be bothered, I frequently hit the "ignore" button when mine rings. That is what voicemail is for.
Chris
Chris, I never cared one way or another about phones until I saw an episode of some crime show where the cops foiled a murder-for-hire plot by having recordings of the hit-mans calls. The hit-man only used multiple pay phones, and I thought those couldnt be traced. This was a long time ago. I asked a buddy who worked for the phone company and he informed me that any and all phone conversations were recorded. The way he put it was, Just think about it. If you were the government and you had the ability to record everything anyone talked about anywhere, wouldnt you use it? A phone is a two-way listening device. And most people think theyre turned off just because they hung up. He mightve been full of it, but that burst my privacy illusion bubble and thats when I started actively disliking them. Theyre everywhere at work, and people use them to interrupt me with stupid issues right when Im in the middle of something important like being on the internet or winning at solitaire. Chris
Now I hate them.I dont hate my cell as much since its usually turned off and tossed somewhere until I need it. I do get annoyed at people who think it should be some sort of electronic tether to me.
Post by: Manedwolf on June 15, 2007, 04:24:03 AM
For instance, mine, I can be sure that when I said "disable GPS functions", they really ARE disabled, as in not active at all, not just not accessible by the user.
Post by: K Frame on June 15, 2007, 06:36:41 AM
I never understood the animosity towards cellphones. Nothing says you have to answer the thing when it rings. If I'm busy or don't want to be bothered, I frequently hit the "ignore" button when mine rings. That is what voicemail is for.
Chris
Chris
Try getting on a crowded elevator when some jerk wad who is either stupid or hard of hearing has a converfight with someone on the other end.
Or when you're trying to have a nice date at a restraurant and the tool at the next table things that the Palm is his personal office away from the office.
Or when you're at a movie or a concert and someone's phone rings. Not only do they let it ring more than once, they ANSWER the damned thing.
The animosity is truly with the cell phone owner, but it gets projected onto the device.
Hum... Very much the tactic of the anti-gunners, come to think of it.
Post by: K Frame on June 15, 2007, 06:37:46 AM
You got antennas on the mind lately, boy...
Actually, I learned about that system while doing some stuff for our favorite Uncle Sam. Not only are the denizens of this board addicted to their cellphones, so are various bureaucrats.
Chris
I guess I'm something of a luddite when it comes to cell phones.
That's why I have a candlestick phone.
HELLO? MABLE? CAN YOU GET ME ASTOR-3 729? THANKS!
Get one of these. They're $29. There's also a Bluetooth version.
Whoa! Speaker and ear piece on the SAME assembly!
What will they think of next!
Post by: Tallpine on June 15, 2007, 07:40:27 AM
Quote
How much taller than your house is this hill?
Oh, maybe 50 to 75 vertical feet. The hillside makes a great shooting range
I checked into that stuff when we first moved out here, but at that time it would have cost about three grand. No thanks, a landline will do.
Trouble is, my corner is about 50' short of the top of the hill, though my line does cross the ridge a little further down. So I would have to get permission to set up an antenna up there. (And provide power for it somehow I suppose?) That neighbor just passed away and the place is for sale, so who knows..? Probably some dang Californewyorker will buy it
And then I would want to know that it worked before buying all that stuff.
We had a CellOne phone on 15 day trial and it would barely work on one corner of our land, down by the county road. We took it back and got a refund.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 15, 2007, 08:03:48 AM
Brad
Post by: charby on June 15, 2007, 08:15:47 AM
I never understood the animosity towards cellphones. Nothing says you have to answer the thing when it rings. If I'm busy or don't want to be bothered, I frequently hit the "ignore" button when mine rings. That is what voicemail is for.
Chris
Chris
Try getting on a crowded elevator when some jerk wad who is either stupid or hard of hearing has a converfight with someone on the other end.
Or when you're trying to have a nice date at a restraurant and the tool at the next table things that the Palm is his personal office away from the office.
Or when you're at a movie or a concert and someone's phone rings. Not only do they let it ring more than once, they ANSWER the damned thing.
The animosity is truly with the cell phone owner, but it gets projected onto the device.
Hum... Very much the tactic of the anti-gunners, come to think of it.
I really want to get a hammer loop for my belt and carry a 21oz framing hammer and smash those asshat's phones and PDA's to little bits..
Post by: Manedwolf on June 15, 2007, 09:13:40 AM
Post by: K Frame on June 15, 2007, 09:36:19 AM
Post by: Tallpine on June 15, 2007, 01:33:16 PM
Quote
Try build a passive radiator out of two antenna and a run of 50 ohm coax. Pick up a couple of used antenna bases (HAM shops are great for this) and cut the whips to the proper length for your cell band (for the best results cut for full-wave). Mount one in or near the house, grounded solid to something. Mount the other at the top of the hill on a length of junk pipe stuck in the ground. With a little patience and resourceful scrounging you should be able to get out for under $50. It won't be like having an active system but it should at least get you enough signal to talk.
Sounds like a good plan, if I understood what you are talking about. Oh, the junk pipe - I'm good at making stuff out of that.
Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
Post by: Boomhauer on June 15, 2007, 03:48:28 PM
I had to have them work on a phone that went FUBAR on be the other day ago. Some kind of software problem. They replaced it, no hassle.
They have always been very helpful when we have needed to block various services (like texting), or changing phone numbers. (I have a teenage sister who is an absolute idiot, long, long story)
Post by: Antibubba on June 15, 2007, 07:30:06 PM
Quote
Not really. I just got the Blade a couple of months ago, and it's digital-only. And one of their best phones.
Digital-only, yes. But dual-band. Especially in the ultra-thin phones, analog is being omitted. It takes up space and is a battery hog-and those phones don't have a lot of battery to begin with. So why would anyone want one?
Because they look cool.
Post by: Desertdog on June 15, 2007, 08:02:11 PM
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A dual- or tri-band phone with digital and analog capability should have you talking anywhere in the country.
Make sure you have a tri-band phone.We had a duel band phone last year when my wife went on vacation. In San Fransisco CA and in Mass. her cell phone would not work in most areas. That is when I found out about the tri-band phones.
Post by: mtnbkr on June 16, 2007, 04:23:43 AM
Quote
Try build a passive radiator out of two antenna and a run of 50 ohm coax. Pick up a couple of used antenna bases (HAM shops are great for this) and cut the whips to the proper length for your cell band (for the best results cut for full-wave). Mount one in or near the house, grounded solid to something. Mount the other at the top of the hill on a length of junk pipe stuck in the ground. With a little patience and resourceful scrounging you should be able to get out for under $50. It won't be like having an active system but it should at least get you enough signal to talk.
Sounds like a good plan, if I understood what you are talking about. Oh, the junk pipe - I'm good at making stuff out of that.
Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
A passive radiator probably won't work in this instance. The coax run is too long. At the frequencies cell systems run, you're going to lose most of your signal in a 200yd run. You're going to lose at least 3db per 100ft and you have 600ft of cable. Every 3db you lose is a halving of signal strength. In addition, coax that *only* loses 3db per 100ft at 900mhz at above is going to cost you about $1 per ft. IIRC, 900mhz is the lowest frequency in use by cell providers. Loss goes up as frequencies increase. IMO, you're going to need at least one amplifier in that system.
Chris
Post by: Manedwolf on June 16, 2007, 05:00:34 AM
Quote
Not really. I just got the Blade a couple of months ago, and it's digital-only. And one of their best phones.
Digital-only, yes. But dual-band. Especially in the ultra-thin phones, analog is being omitted. It takes up space and is a battery hog-and those phones don't have a lot of battery to begin with. So why would anyone want one?
Because they look cool.
Yup. And because I can slip it into a suit inner pocket or jeans pocket and it vanishes. I don't need to try to fasten it into a case on my belt, which I consider an egregious fashion error. (the beltpouch look says "IT technician" to me.)
Post by: mtnbkr on June 16, 2007, 05:47:33 AM
A phone that is a phone first. No cameras, no multimedia, etc.
A phone that has a real contacts list capability along the lines of PalmOS, but can also sync with Outlook and other PIM apps. I want to carry name, address, multiple phone numbers, email, etc.
Text messenging capability that can handle a decent sized message (I get messages from my systems, plus I used text messages to send myself quick reminder notes).
Either a qwerty keyboard like a Treo or Blackberry or a touchscreen.
Size equal to or smaller than the Motorola Q
I love my Treo, it's just about perfect, but it's a bit big and heavy. The Q looks good, but my coworker has one and doesn't like it. It lacks a touchscreen, which I use a lot.
Chris
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 16, 2007, 05:57:41 AM
Quote
Sounds like a good plan, if I understood what you are talking about. Oh, the junk pipe - I'm good at making stuff out of that.
Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
Has to connect. However, for some reason I misread yout original post and took the vertical distance you gave as horizontal distance. I defer to what Chris said about cable loss.
Brad
Post by: mtnbkr on June 16, 2007, 06:09:11 AM
Quote
Sounds like a good plan, if I understood what you are talking about. Oh, the junk pipe - I'm good at making stuff out of that.
Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
Has to connect. However, for some reason I misread yout original post and took the vertical distance you gave as horizontal distance. I defer to what Chris said about cable loss.Does the coax have to connect the two antennas? We're talking maybe 200 yards from the house to the hilltop.
Does this system just reflect the signal down the hill ...?
Brad
Hum. I just reread everything and realized I may have made some assumptions that aren't necessarily correct. If the signal on the other side of the hill is strong enough and you can acquire/build antennas with enough gain, you don't have to run that much cable, just enough to get the antennas into position. If you own the hill, you could probably put a high gain yagi pointed towards the nearest tower up top and run some cable to position the other antenna (high gain yagi or similar) where it could point to your house. I assumed you'd want the antenna AT the house, which really isn't necessary.
The nice thing about this is that you can build it all (except for any cable you need) with "stuff". The antennas can be made with something as simple as broomstick for the beam and welding rods for the elements. I built a 3 element yagi for 144mhz using 1/8" rod from the hobby shop and PVC for the beam. I soldered the coax directly to the driven element. It worked quite well.
Chris
Post by: grislyatoms on June 16, 2007, 06:19:26 AM
Works just fine everywhere else.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 16, 2007, 06:33:31 AM
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I assumed you'd want the antenna AT the house, which really isn't necessary.
Hmmm... if he was running something high-gain and very directional, he could probably get away with two close-proximity antenna locations as long as they gave him line-of-sight to the intended targets. Heck, they could possibly even be mounted on the same pole if the geography would cooperate.
Brad
Post by: Chuck Dye on June 16, 2007, 06:35:39 AM
READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS!
One of the most common answers I provided was some form of "That is precisely what you purchased when you signed the contract. I can offer these changes at these prices."
If there is any possibility of coverage issues, get a phone from the prospective provider, preferably the model you will buy, and test the ground yourself. It should be a deal killer if the vendor will not cooperate.
Post by: Tallpine on June 16, 2007, 06:56:52 AM
Quote
The nice thing about this is that you can build it all (except for any cable you need) with "stuff". The antennas can be made with something as simple as broomstick for the beam and welding rods for the elements. I built a 3 element yagi for 144mhz using 1/8" rod from the hobby shop and PVC for the beam. I soldered the coax directly to the driven element. It worked quite well.
Maybe you could. Since I'm not a "radio nut" then I doubt that I could, without first learning all about this stuff. First step of course, would be to get a cellphone that actually works on top of the hill. If it doesn't work there then no antenna is going to make it work at the house.
Lots of folks in the general neighborhood have and use cellphones, but we seem to be in a dead spot.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 16, 2007, 07:45:23 AM
Brad
Post by: Bogie on June 16, 2007, 09:36:53 AM
2) How does it plug into the phone? They're all different...
(I've got a Verizon LG9800 keyboard phone, and I love it - my girlfriend's deaf, and we do a LOT of text back and forth)
Post by: grislyatoms on June 16, 2007, 09:39:08 AM
1) What is a yagi?
It's how Scooby Doo says "Shaggy".
It's an antenna.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 16, 2007, 11:05:57 AM
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1) What is a yagi?
2) How does it plug into the phone? They're all different...
2) How does it plug into the phone? They're all different...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagi_antenna
A very directional antenna. Think old-style TV antenna, but in reverse. In fact, it's pretty easy to modify some TV antennas for low-power transmission. And they work darn well, especially for the price.
It won't plug into the phone, unfortunately. You have to be able to link directly to the phones transmitter for that. You might be able to rig up some kind of passive feed that goes around the phone. By passive I mean that it simply picks up the signal and re-radiates it through the larger, more directional antenna. You will lose overall signal, but the directional nature compensates for that by concentrating the signal into a smaller, more precise beam.
Quote
1) What is a yagi?
Quote
It's how Scooby Doo says "Shaggy".
A bit bored at the office today, are we?
Brad
Post by: Tallpine on June 16, 2007, 11:54:19 AM
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In fact, it's pretty easy to modify some TV antennas for low-power transmission.
Too bad I trashed and threw away the old TV aerial that was on the roof when we bought the house
I have an old TV dish lying around - what could I do with that ...?
Post by: mtnbkr on June 16, 2007, 12:18:15 PM
Quote
In fact, it's pretty easy to modify some TV antennas for low-power transmission.
Too bad I trashed and threw away the old TV aerial that was on the roof when we bought the house I have an old TV dish lying around - what could I do with that ...?
A TV antenna (VHF/UHF) is too big for cellular frequencies. They operate from 40mhz to 400mhz (+/- a few mhz). The driven element for 144mhz is 3.2' for a halfwave element. The driven element of a yagi for cellular reception would be measured in inches, especially if you were on one of the digital systems. I'm running the numbers off the top of my head, so don't yell if I'm off.
As for the dish, I *think* they're only good for 2.4ghz and higher. Lots of hams make use of them. I've seen the plans for antennas using them and they're pretty straightforward. However, my interest is in the lower bands, so I haven't done anything with the spare dish I have at home.
As for attaching a yagi to a cellphone, it should be pretty straightforward if your phone has a port for an external antenna, you can get the appropriate connector, and connect it to coax that's connected to your antenna. That said, you'd look pretty funny with your tiny flipphone and an antenna connected via a couple feet of cable.
Chris
Post by: grislyatoms on June 16, 2007, 12:50:55 PM
Brad
I am now. This morning was a bit of a flustercluck.
Post by: Thor on June 16, 2007, 03:21:42 PM
Post by: mtnbkr on June 16, 2007, 06:56:21 PM
wavelength (meters)= 300/ Freq (MHz) That'll give you the dimensions of the elements.
Actually, to get the halfwave dimensions (feet) of the driven element, use 468/freq.
Example: 468/900mhz=.52'. If you were to make a yagi for 900mhz, the driven element would be half a foot long. There's another formula to determine the length of the reflector (longer) and director(s) (shorter). BTW, you can use the same 468/freq to get the length of any driven element that is a half wavelength (dipole for example).
Chris
Post by: Silver Bullet on June 16, 2007, 11:25:23 PM
Dont overlook pay-as-you-go prepaid card services, such as Tracfone and Net10. No account and no bills. You buy a card (at the store or online), call up (or go online) and extend your talk minutes and monthly service. You can do this anonymously if you dont pay with a credit card.
For example, you can buy 150 minutes of talk time and 30 days of service for only $15.00. In another words, if you limit your talk time to less than 150 minutes a month on average, youre only paying $15.00 per month (plus the initial cost of the phone). You can buy larger time/service increments.
Ive seen the phones (Tracfone) for as low as $20.00 for a Nokia 1100 in the grocery store.
Post by: Brad Johnson on June 18, 2007, 07:40:52 AM
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Dont overlook pay-as-you-go prepaid card services,
That's was Sprint's claim to fame. Remember when they called themselves Sprint PCS?
Prepaid Cellular Service
Brad